Awards

Writers Of The Future Award

The CompetitionThe Writers Of The Future Award was established by L. Ron Hubbard in 1983 as a way to find new talent in the science fiction writing genre. Scott T. Barnes was one of 12 winners in the "Writers of the Future" contest in 2012, winning second place in the fourth quarter.

Watch this compelling short about the Writers Of The Future Award and Scott's comments about minute 4

The Award

The contest receives entries from thousands of writers a year and is a competition aimed at discovering, and publishing, deserving amateur and aspiring writers. "Writers of the Future" has become one of the largest, most well known and best-established discovery vehicles in the field. Winners have gone on to publish over 700 novels and 3,000 short stories, many of them international bestsellers. "Writers of the Future" has launched the careers of hundreds of authors.

Scott T. Barnes was presented with the Writers Of The Future award in Los Angeles. Watch the award video below.

The Story

Barnes' story "Insect Sculptor" won second place in the fourth quarter 2012 Writers of the Future Contest. The anthology is available through all major booksellers.

Adam Clements is a talented insect sculptor but has much to learn. He has traveled thousands of miles in hopes of apprenticing for the Great Gajah-mada, but first he must impress the Hive’s director, the gorgeous Isabella.

Adam is good, but to be great he will need to overcome his fear wall: the fear of losing himself in the hive mind.

The premise of Insect Sculptor is intriguing and inventive. The sculptor forms a psychic link with a colony of insects, creating works of art with mass bugs. Adam can do much with his termites, commanding them to facilitate an elephant as his entrance test for Isabella. He quickly learns that his abilities are elementary compared to what Gajah-mada’s troop can do--even mimicing people so well they are passable as living humans.

Adam is first turned away but earns a second chance. Gajah-mada no longer makes public appearances, leaving the show to his star, Wasserman, to hold it together, but Wasserman lacks the control needed to keep Gajah-mada’s complicated designs intact. Gajah-mada needs someone greater for he is not long for this world. Adam has the talent but has never learned to break down his own fear wall, but he is determined , for the show, for himself, for the Great Gajah-mada, and for the love of his life , Isabella.

It isn’t hard to see why this one won the contest. Unique, full of lively characters, and with a protagonist that develops with the story line. The only thing that I can complain about it is it gave me the heebie-jeebies *shiver*. Nevertheless, a strong contender that was written well.

The 28th installment of this venerable anthology series collects the 13 winners of the Writers of the Future contest for 2011, drawing from the ranks of new authors and artists. Many of the contributors have already seen other success in the field, and it’s not hard to imagine some of them making award lists in the near future. The offerings are thought provoking and varied, with a general trend toward excellence. Standouts include Marie Croke’s “Of Woven Wood,” in which a golem learns to deal with his creator’s death; William Mitchell’s “Contact Authority,” a tale of outer space espionage; and Scott T. Barnes’s lyrical “Insect Sculptor.” The selections are weighted toward science fiction, with several fantasy pieces and some that defy genre, like Nick T. Chain’s “The Command for Love.” The future is in good hands. (June)